Not So Different
by OneHellOvaWriter
Summary: My first Soul Silver Shipping story. Lyra meets a jerk in front of a lab. Hatred turns to love and all that jazz. Lyra/Kotone x Silver/Rival. Bad summary, I know. Just read. Rating may change depending on where I take this story.
1. An Unexpected Encounter

I heard the alarm clock buzz loudly

"Mhrmph," I groaned, slapping the snooze button and rolling over. The town of New Bark was peaceful like usual. All I could hear was the sound of chirping Pidgeys outside my window. Not ten minutes later my mother came up to make sure I was awake.

"Lyra Kotone Soul," I heard her sigh as she nudged me into consciousness. "Must I have to wake you every day?"

"But it's summer," I managed to groan. Plus, I'd been up all night reading. Once I find a good book, I can't seem to restrain myself from compulsively reading it.

"Get up, breakfast is downstairs. I won't come back up here," she laughed. That really meant get-your-lazy-butt-up-or-else. I groaned as I sat up on my bed. I looked around my room until I spotted my hat.

I quickly brushed through my tangled hair, cursing as I pulled out some. Pulling my hair into my signature pigtails, I was content with my appearance. Fully dressed in my favorite short-overalls and a red shirt under it, I put my somewhat puffy hat on and grabbed my bag before going down to breakfast.

As soon as I'd made it to the bottom step my mom looked up at me, "Professor Elm called this morning. He said he was wondering if you'd run an errand for him like usual." Every summer my best friend, Eithan Gold, and I would run errands for the town professor. It gave us something to do through the slow days of summer in New Bark.

"Ok, Mom! I'm right on it," I shouted as I grabbed a ready-made sandwich and rushed out the door.

I was already out of ear-shot when my mother sighed, "Be safe."

I rushed out the door and through the town. I wondered what it would be this time. Maybe I would have to help him with another experiment. Or maybe help him with a new pokemon. I just hoped I wouldn't have to help him with his files again. That was really boring.

As I walked past the final house, I could see the laboratory. I noticed a boy was looking through the window. Well, I wouldn't really call him a boy; he was about my age, sixteen. His red, shaggy hair fell to his shoulders and he was at least six-foot tall. It was kind of strange that he was wearing a jacket during the summer I noticed, looking at the black thing.

I strode up to him cheerily as I shoved the rest of my sandwich in my mouth. I tapped on his shoulder and he turned to glare at me with piercing grey eyes. I held up a finger as if to say wait a moment as I swallowed the rest of my sandwich.

"What are you staring at?" he snapped. I of course ignored his question.

"Hi! I'm Lyra. I haven't seen you around before," I flashed him one of my signature smiles but he just stood there, glaring at me. I rubbed the back of my head nervously, "Well, uhm… I was just wondering if you were new here. I mean, not many people come poking around here. It's weird that I haven't already heard of you if you've just moved here seeing as how small-" I was cut off as he shoved me backwards, my bottom making contact with the dusty ground. I looked up at him, stunned, not really believing that he'd just pushed me for no reason.

"As if I would ever move to this dump," he scoffed and continued to stare into my soul. "Just leave me alone." I gasped and scurried off the ground, wiping the dirt off my butt. I rushed into the lab, fuming from anger. What a jerk! I was just trying to be nice. The way he looked at me was almost as if he hated me for just speaking to him.

As I entered the lab I decided to let the annoying guy leave my thoughts. I could see Ethan's father working at a small desk in the corner, "Hey, Mr. Gold!" He didn't even look up from his paperwork, but it didn't matter. I skipped to where Ethan and Professor Elm were standing. As I walked up, Ethan turned to give me a smile.

"Hey, Lyra! What was keeping you? You must be half Slowpoke or something," he joked before giving me a quick hug. I hugged my childhood friend before turning my attention to Elm. He looked up from the computer he was typing on to talk.

"Glad you made it," he smiled as he pushed his glasses closer to his eyes. "Ethan has to stay here and help me with paperwork," Ethan rolled his eyes at me in an oh-great kind of way, "so you'll have to go run an errand for me if you will." I nodded a yes that I would before he continued. "I got an e-mail from my old friend Mr. Pokemon. He said he had something for me that should help my research. A pokemon egg. Will you go get it for me?"

"Sure, Professor."

"You get all the fun jobs," Eithan pouted playfully.

"You will have to go through some areas where wild pokemon may attack, and I don't want you to get harmed," he looked around the cluttered lab before coming to a small box. "You can take one of these pokemon with you for protection. You can keep it, too." Each pokeball was labeled with the pokemon it held. I looked up at him in shock.

"You're giving me a pokemon?" I still couldn't believe it.

"Yea, you're giving her a pokemon?" Ethan asked in a high voice.

"You can have one, too, Ethan. After Lyra chooses," Elm sighed as he released each pokemon. One, the Chikorita, had a cute leaf on her head with a green body. The next, a Cyndaquil, had flames shoot out of its back as it stretched. The last was a Totodile, it looked blue with sharp teeth, but it was still cute.

"They are all so cute," I squealed, but I knew already which one I wanted. I scooped up the Cyndaquil as the fire on its back quit flaring. "Professor, can I have Cyndaquil?" Elm nodded and Eithan chose the Chikorita and returned her to her ball. After Elm gave me directions to Mr. Pokemon's house I waved good-bye and left. I allowed Cyndaquil to walk with me and he seemed happy to do so.

"He isn't here anymore," I noticed about the redhead but shrugged. My attention was now fully on the little Cyndaquil that danced playfully around my feet. I had to be careful not to step on him. He quit running as we made it to Cherrygrove City. The pokemon so far hadn't attacked us, but you never know when you might enter a Spearow's territory. Cyndaquil stuck his nose in the air, smelling the sea.

I laughed at how he clapped his small paws together in glee. _Cyndaquil can't be that old_, I thought to myself. As we made it to Route 30 I stopped to look at the map Elm had given me. He'd circled a small area where Mr. Pokemon's house was to be. I sighed, _Why would someone want to live in the woods?_

Cyndaqul rushed playfully ahead of me, "Don't go too far!" I shouted after him. He didn't go to where he couldn't see me. I finally caught up to him and noticed he was drinking from a small pond. He shook his head as a Magicarp came to the surface, accidentally splashing him. It wasn't enough water to weaken him, since it just evaporated off his body.

After he was done drinking, we walked towards Mr. Pokemon's house once again. It took thirty minutes in all to get from Cherrygrove to his house. It was just a small cottage really. I knocked on the door and heard someone rummaging about before someone answered the door. A man with a brown hat looked down at me. He looked like he was in his late fifties. His white beard was cut neatly and his suit was pressed.

"You must be Lyra, the girl Elm told me was coming to get the egg," he smiled warmly.

"Yes, and you're Mr. Pokemon?"

"Indeed. Come inside so I can get it for you," he walked inside the house and I followed him. I noticed another man was there. About the same age as Mr. Pokemon, except he had on a lab coat much like Professor Elm's. I saw Mr. Pokemon grab a large egg off the table; it was almost the size of both his hands._ That must be the egg._ He motioned for me to come closer as he wrapped it in a soft cloth, making sure it wouldn't crack. He handed it to me and I put it in my bag gently. Cyndaquil looked up curiously.

"I do hope Professor Elm will be able to find out what pokemon this is," Mr. Pokemon sighed.

The other man spoke for the first time, "That Cyndaquil seems to like you a lot. How long have you been companions?"

"Not even an hour," I chuckled looking down at Cyndaquil lovingly. "I'm Lyra," I smiled. He put down the cup of tea he was drinking to introduce himself.

"I'm Professor Oak. You look reliable. Helping Elm with his research and all," he rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a small red device. "Here, take a Pokedex. It has data on all kinds of pokemon and I'm sure you'll find a use for it." I thanked him and took the device from his hands, placing it in my bag.

"I need to go. I'm expected in Goldenrod for my radio show. It was nice meeting you, Lyra," Oak left and soon after I left as well. Cyndaquil and I were resting near a small apricorn tree when my pokegear rang.

_**RING! RINGGG! RING!**_

I picked up the phone, but not before seeing who was calling. It was Elm.

"Hey Prof-" I was cut off by Elm's frantic voice.

"Oh my ARCEUS! What am I going to do? Lyra? Lyra? Are you there?" he didn't wait for me to answer, "You need to come back to the lab immediately! No time to waste!" Before he hung up I heard him shout, "This is just HORRIBLE!" I looked at my pokegear and then at Cyndaquil. What was going on back at the lab?

"Come on, we have to get back, and fast. Something weird is going on," we both ran back to Cherrygrove, careful not to startle any pokemon. We rushed onto route 29. I didn't even see the trainer until I ran into him, knocking us both into the ground.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry," I apologized before looking up to who I'd run into. It was the very same redhead from before.

"Get off of me," he growled. He didn't even take my hand as I offered to help him off the ground. "You're the girl from that lab."

"Yeah! And you're the guy who pushed me, you big jerk!" I pointed an accusing finger at him but he ignored my fury.

"I can't believe a weakling like you was given a pokemon," he scoffed and I felt my cheeks redden in anger.

"Hey!"

"The pokemon I have is way better than that puny Cyndaquil you got," he boasted arrogantly.

"Really?" now I was pissed. "Prove it then. Let's have a battle!"

"Even though it would be a waste of my time to beat a weakling like you, I'll do it," he commented, releasing his pokemon. I gasped as I realized what it was.

There, standing in front of Cyndaquil, was the very same Totodile from Elm's lab.


	2. Hit The Road Lyra

**Author Note:**

**Hey, so Megmeg here. Second chapter's up. YAY! I hope you guys enjoy it and that it isn't a total fail. =.= Anyway, I'll let you get to reading.**

"Where did you get that?" I asked. Ignoring my question he called the first move.

"Scratch!"

"Dodge it, Cyndaquil!" I shouted. As he did as I commanded I yelled, "Tackle!"

It lasted like this for a while. It seemed both pokemon were the same in strength, but Cyndaquil was better in speed. He was able to dodge more attacks and land more than the boy's Totodile. Eventually, Cyndaquil tackled it for the last time, finally making him faint. Cyndaquil was pretty tired himself, however.

The boy stomped in anger, "Stupid weak pokemon!"

"Don't call him that! Your Totodile gave it his all for you," I defended the pokemon.

"Well his all wasn't enough obviously," he began to walk past me in a huff but I spoke.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I let my anger get the best of my normally cheerful self. "Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," as he walked past me I was fuming, until I noticed his trainer card was poking out of his pants pocket. Finally my pickpocketing skills had come in handy as I snatched the card out of his pants with a mere flick of my wrist.

"Well, well what do we have here?" I laughed as I waved the card in front of his face. "Silver," was all I was able to read before he ripped it out of my hand.

"Don't touch that!" he snapped, glaring at me with those silver eyes before storming off into Cherrygrove City. Cyndaquil looked at me warily and I knew he was weak from the battle with Totodile.

"Here, have some rest," I returned Cyndaquil and prayed to Arceus that no wild pokemon attacked me as I was walking back to New Bark. I was extra cautious in my haste to get back to the lab. As I came to the lab entrance, Ethan rushed up to me.

"Lyra, you won't believe it! Some red-haired dude ripped off Elm's Totodile!" that was all he said before rushing towards his home. To tell his mother the news, no doubt.

I was bewildered. Could I have possibly battled the guy who stole the Totodile? Silver was arrogant and rude, but I hadn't picked him out as a thief. I shook my head. It had to be him! I saw the Totodile with my own eyes.

I saw Elm talking to a police officer in the back of the lab, "I-it was a red haired boy." He managed to stutter. He was definitely upset. I felt sorry for the mild-mannered professor.

"Professor Elm," I started but as soon as he saw me he gasped.

"Lyra! It's terrible! Someone-" I cut him off.

"Yea, someone stole the Totodile, I know."

"How could you possibly?"

"Well, Ethan told me as I was coming in," I looked at my feet. "Plus, I… uh… might have battled the Totodile not too long ago." The officer and Elm's eyes widened at my bit of information.

"Did you happen to catch the thief's name?" the officer asked and after writing down everything that I told him about my encounter with Silver, he left. By that time, the sun was setting and I was ready for dinner. I hadn't eaten since breakfast at nine. I could feel my stomach rumbling under my clothes. After giving Elm the egg and saying good-bye, I made my way to my house.

As I was almost to my house I passed by Ethan's. He was in the front yard playing with his Marill and Chikorita. The dark haired boy looked over at me and waved, rushing towards me.

"Lyra, wow. Today sure was hectic wasn't it?" he rubbed the back of his head. This showed off his biceps. "I was watching on TV about the Champion. His name is Lance. Maybe you should take the challenge. You know, go around the region collecting gym badges and stuff." I thought about his suggestion.

"That sounds like fun."

"Yea, and you'd meet a lot of people and pokemon, too!"

My heart plummeted, "But my mom wouldn't ever let me go."

"You never know," he shrugged. "Well, I'll see you later." He walked back into the house, Marill and Chikorita following close behind.

As I came to my house I released Cyndaquil. He was still weak, but he looked stronger than he did after the battle. Plus I think my mom might have something to make him feel better, like food. My stomach growled again at the thought and I laughed hearing Cyndaquil's growl also. I debated whether or not to ask to go on a journey for the gym badges. It would be a fun way to spend my summer, but I had a sinking feeling that she'd definitely say no.

"What's to lose?" I mumbled to myself. I was sitting across the table from my mom. She'd cooked steak to celebrate me getting my first pokemon. I smiled at the slightly burnt steak on my plate.

"Did you say something, dear?" she asked, eating her broccoli delicately compared to me.

"Well," I looked down at Cyndaquil who was picking food out of my plate from my lap, "I was wondering if I could maybe, uhm, travel to collect the gym badges." I looked at her hopefully. She stared at me in shock.

"No."

I was completely crushed, "W-Why not?"

"It is too dangerous," she continued to eat.

"Mom-" she cut off my protest.

"NO! You may not go. That is FINAL," her raised voice startled Cyndaquil and I was taken aback.

"Fine," I mumbled, feeling a tear fall down my face. As I finished eating I carried Cyndaquil up to my room. I stared at the four walls that now felt like a prison.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," I spoke to Cyndaquil who nodded his head in agreement. "I mean, I have you." I continued to rant about my frustrations, "I want to go."

"Quil," Cyndaquil sighed, saying that my mother wouldn't let us.

I looked at my bed, "I'm going to go." A grin bloomed on my face as I began to think.

"Cynda?" he asked what could I possibly do to change her mind. I rushed around the room throwing things I'd need for a journey into my bag.

"Lots of people take the gym challenge; I can do it with or without her permission. I'm sixteen, after all. We can do this," I looked into Cyndaquil's eyes. "Are you with me?" I shoved the last thing I needed into my now stuffed bag. I reached my hand out to him. Cyndaquil looked at me unsteadily before deciding to go along with me. He reached out and I propped him on my shoulder.

"Great; it's you and me against the world," I laughed at the cheesy line and grabbed my bag. I walked over to my desk, pulling out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. "I can't leave without letting her know I'm all right," I nodded and began to write.

Dear mom,

I know that you don't want me to go, but the Pidgey has to fly eventually. Right? I love you and I hope you won't be too mad at me. Please don't worry because I have Cyndaquil by my side and I know we can do this. I hope that you will someday understand that this is my calling and there's nothing I can do to fight it.

-Lyra

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what I was about to do. I folded the note neatly and placed it on my bed to where she'd definitely see it.

"Come on Cyndaquil," I mumbled as I took one last look around my room. Pulling my hat onto my head, I went to my window. Opening it I climbed onto an outstretched apricorn tree branch that Ethan and I would always use to sneak out. As I got to the bottom of the tree I looked around at New Bark. Everything was silent in the darkness. Cyndaquil looked up at me as if to ask if I was sure I wanted to do this. I nodded quickly.

We walked past Ethan's house and I sighed. No telling when I'll see him again. As we left the town I noticed an older man looking into the tall grass. He was Ethan's grandfather.

"Hey, Gramps," I smiled as the man turned to look at who had called him.

"Lyra," the frail man hugged me briefly. He was just like my own grandfather, "Did your mom say that you could travel? Ethan told me you were going to ask." The wrinkled man was slightly shorter than me and I looked at my shoes guiltily.

"Well, not exactly," I mumbled.

"Don't worry, I won't be the one to stop you," he looked into the starry sky, "I can remember my first journey with a pokemon. My mother didn't want me to leave home either, but it was the best thing I ever did." He smiled at me, "I met Ethan's nana on that journey. She was the most beautiful nurse in the pokemon center." I'd heard the story before. Ethan's grandmother had been a young nurse just getting out of school. They'd met in Blackthorn City when he was only twenty-five. I smiled at the sweet story.

"Yea, thanks Gram," I hugged him once more.

"If you're leaving, at least take this," he held out a wad of cash, at least 100 dollars.

"Really? Thanks," My eyes got teary as I took the kind gesture. As Cyndaquil and I walked to Cherrygrove, Cyndaqul would bring me apricorns to place in my apricorn box. By the time we made it, I made sure to go to the center.

Pokecenters are pretty much pokemon hospitals, marts, free trainer hotels, and free trainer buffets. Basically a center is there to completely help a trainer. The only things you had to pay for were the products at the mart. Grabbing a room key provided by the nurse I walked into my assigned room. Crashing on the bed, I slept peacefully until Cyndaquil nudged me into consciousness.

Getting ready for the day, I made sure to tuck the money safely inside my bag. As we walked into the buffet section of the center, I was completely ready for breakfast. I grabbed a bag of fire pokemon food and gave it to Cyndaquil who sat at a table with my bag while I walked back to the buffet for some food. We ate in silence and then we went to the mart section. I needed to get some stuff that I didn't have at home like bags of pokemon food, pokeballs, and a first aid kit.

After we were done it wasn't long before we were on route 30. The many trainers seemed to all want to battle me, but Cyndaquil seemed to get stronger and stronger with every battle we fought. A few trainers even asked for my number. I didn't give it since I don't know them at all and it was kind of creepy.

As we made it to the gate to Violet City, I noticed a familiar yellow striped hat. I tapped on his shoulder and he turned to see what someone wanted.

His eyes lit up as he recognized me, "Lyra, holy Arceus! What are you doing here? I guess you're going to take the challenge like I suggested." Ethan smirked, "Or did you come and find me 'cause you missed me?" He wiggled his eyebrows deviously.

I slapped his arm, "No, silly! I'm here to challenge the Violet City gym with Cyndaquil."

"That's cool. I've heard that there are some cool pokemon on route 32. You might want to check that out before you go to the gym," he tipped his hat playfully, "I'm going to train some on route 30. See ya!"

"Bye!" I smiled, walking into Violet City. I decided to take Ethan's advice and train on route 32 before challenging the gym. I probably wouldn't get to it anyway today since I wanted to see Sprout Tower first.

Cyndaquil walked through the city until we came to the path leading to route 32. As we walked I looked for any wild pokemon. I was looking around so much I didn't see what was right in front of me. I tripped over something fluffy before I realized what it was.

"Oh I'm so sorry," I apologized to the startled Mareep, but it seemed like an apology wasn't enough. The Mareep began to shake, charging up static inside her wool and I knew she was about to attack. And the scariest part of all was what her attack was aimed directly at.

Me.

**Author Note:**

**Did it suck? Please tell me!**

**Oh, and I'm going to just put this here since I forgot to in the first chapter. I don't own Pokemon or these characters! I only own the basic storyline and most of that I don't even own. =.= This is pretty much just my take on the game, with a SoulSilverShipping twist. It will get more interesting though, I PROMISE!**

**Anyway, tell me how you liked it! Thanks~**


	3. Weirdos of the Region

I screamed as I saw a flash of yellow light shoot from Mareep at me. I closed my eyes waiting for the searing pain, but all I heard was a loud BOOM and I felt dust and dirt swirling around me. I slowly opened my eyes and gasped at the sight. Cyndaquil was standing in front of me, back flames blazing, and Mareep was on the ground fainted.

I looked in between them right where the bolt of electricity had stopped. The grass was burnt to a crisp and it looked like there had just been a mini-explosion. I'd seen this once before on TV. A fire type move had collided with an electric type move and the power had made a small explosion.

"D-did you protect me, Cyndaquil?" I asked the small, huffing pokemon. He nodded at me and I hugged him for a moment before scrambling off the ground. I pulled a ball from my bag and threw it at the Mareep. The ball vibrated slightly before clicking shut. I picked up the ball and turned to Cyndaquil.

"We need to get Mareep to the center," Cyndaquil nodded and followed me, not without difficulty since I was running, to the center. I was relieved as the nurse said that it was just a flesh wound and the burns would heal fine. After getting bandaged up and having her wounds sprayed with potions, Mareep looked good as new. That is, except for some burnt wool here and there.

"Mareep, I really am sorry about tripping over you. I wasn't watching where I was going," I smiled and she looked up at me. She sighed and nodded.

"Reep," she smiled. I returned her to her ball and looked at Cyndaquil.

"What do you say we go see Sprout Tower," I pointed out the window of the center in its direction. Only its tip was visible over the trees. Cyndaquil nodded in excitement. As we made it to the Japanese-style tower, I looked up in awe. I couldn't even see the top it was so high.

"Woah, this sure is a tall building," I laughed, "I guess that's why it's called a tower. All the trainers here only have Bellsprouts, so it should be great training for you and Mareep." We walked through the large double doors and into the tower. There were many tourists on the first level, but once we got to the second floor there were only trainers. Most of the trainers were monks, and looked strangely alike. There were a few normal looking trainers like myself who seemed to have come for the same purpose as I, but mainly they kept to themselves.

Cyndaquil and I walked past some monks who were meditating with their Bellsprouts, "I couldn't sit still that long." I giggled at the thought of Ethan trying to do that. I released Mareep from her ball.

"You ready for some training?" I asked and she jumped around in excitement. "Great, then let's do it!"

As we made it to the third floor, I started to be challenged to battles. I had no idea that monks could battle so passionately. Every single battle almost was against a Bellsprout. They were beginning to become a sort of a nuisance. Hey, you can't judge me for wanting to see a different kind of pokemon after a while. I would have been happy to see a stray Ratatta at this point! _I swear to Arceus if I see one more Bellsprout…_ The whole place was infested with them. I sighed, reasoning with my annoyed half. _Well, this IS Sprout Tower, after all. What did you expect?_

The tower's floor shook with every attack Mareep and Cyndaqil used. The middle beam wiggled from side to side and I thought that the tower would come tumbling down from all our battling.

"Oh, don't worry about all the shaking, it's been doing that for hundreds of years and it hasn't fallen yet," a monk interrupted my thoughts as he returned his fainted pokemon. (Which was a Bellsprout, I might add. =.=)

"That's reassuring," I mumbled sarcastically, spraying Cyndaquil with a potion and returning Mareep before continuing to walk through the tower. _Thank Arceus, I think I just saw a Ratatta scurry across the floor. It's a freakin' miracle. _As we climbed up a flight of stairs I noticed that this room was different than the other hallways I'd been in. How many flights of stairs had I gone up? I'd lost count. Was I already at the top?

I looked out the window and gasped at the many colors that were scattered across the sky. It was already sunset. I had spent a long time in the tower. I shrugged, wanting to get this over with and passed the many Bellsprout statues. I came to another monk, but he was much stronger than the others I'd encountered. Beating the monk and his Bellsprout (of course =.=), I continued my way down the hallway, eventually coming to a pillar. It still swayed from side to side, showing that there were many other battles going on beneath my feet. Its gentle swaying had become somewhat peaceful. Maybe even hypnotic, as I stood there and watched it. Cyndaquil started swaying at my feet.

**CRASH!**

Cyndaquil and I jumped, the loud noise startling us out of our stupor. I rushed around the boulder to see a monk's Bellsprout faint to a trainer's Totodile. The red-headed trainer was none other than Silver. He returned his Totodile without a word of gratitude.

"You are indeed strong," the monk sighed as he returned his pokemon and handed Silver something, "but you should care more for your pokemon. You can be too harsh the way you treat them. Pokemon are not meant to be tools."

"Don't tell me what to do old man! You call yourself the Elder of Sprout Tower, but you couldn't beat me. You stand there talking about how I should be nicer to my pokemon, when yours are weak. All I care about are strong pokemon! I have no use for weak ones," Silver spat at the Elder, his temper flaring. As he turned he paused at seeing me, shocked, but he soon composed himself and walked past me. He bumped into my shoulder as he left angrily.

I walked up to the Elder after watching Silver leave, "Are you all right?"

He frowned, "That boy will never know the true power his pokemon when training them with anger and force." He sighed and then smiled at me, "But you are not here for that! What do you say we battle? I am the final test." With that he sent out another Bellsprout (Dang, these things are just sproutin' up everywhere. Okay, bad pun is bad.), ready for a battle.

"Mareep, this is up to you," I threw Mareep's ball and she looked ready for another battle. After beating two of his Bellsprouts, I decided it was Cyndaquil's turn.

"Mareep, return," I shoved the ball into my bag then pointed to the place Mareep used to be. "It's your turn, Cyndaquil." I watched as the Elder returned his fainted Bellsprout and released his last pokemon.

"Hoothoot!"

I was kind of surprised it wasn't another Bellsprout since all the other monks only had them, "Ember!" I shouted but Hoothoot dodged and pecked Cyndaquil.

"Grab onto it," I ordered and Cyndaquil grabbed Hoothoot's wings. "Now climb on top of it." Cyndaquil did as told and the frantic Hoothoot flew with difficulty trying to get him off. "Ember again!" This time it didn't miss. The ember hit directly the back of Hoothoot as Cyndaquil jumped off before it plummeted to the floor, fainted.

I hugged Cyndaquil to my chest as the Elder returned Hoothoot, "You were great!"

"You have quite an elegant battle style," the Elder smiled. I raised an eyebrow. _He calls that elegant? Didn't look like Swan Lake to me._ "You should be able to beat Faulkner, the gym leader. Here," he held out his hand and I noticed that he held out a small nugget of gold, "Since you beat me you get this as a reward."

"Wow, thanks," I smiled, taking the piece and putting it in my pocket. Waving good-bye, Cyndaquil and I descended the stairs. I hadn't noticed there were so many on my climb to the top. I must've been completely engrossed with the battles. As I got to the last step, I noticed Cyndaquil was panting.

"Here, sit on my shoulder," I offered. His little legs were so tiny. He took the offer gratefully and climbed onto my shoulder. I walked back to the center completely wore-out from my first day of training. I walked to the counter.

"One room please," I smiled and the nurse handed me a small key. I walked up the stairs and down a hallway until I saw my room number. Opening the door I was relieved to lie on the small bed. The room wasn't much bigger than any bedroom and the bathroom was barely big enough for a toilet and a shower. There wasn't a bathtub.

I released Mareep and she slept on the floor while Cyndaquil decided to sleep with me on the twin sized bed. _It might not be home, but I regret nothing!_

I woke up to the sound of tiny feet and pokemon squeals. I sat up to see Cundaquil and Mareep playind tag around the room. I rubbed my head and yawned, nearly falling off the bed when Mareep tackled me. She licked me in the face as if to say good morning.

"Ok, ok! Good morning to you too," I laughed as I pulled her off of me. She hopped to the ground and I walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Two hours later I had gotten ready, eaten, and was on my way to the pokemon gym.

As I entered the gym I noticed a lot of trainers with all kind of bird pokemon. I saw a small elevator and walked inside. There was really only one button and it was labeled ARENA. It took a minute or so to get to the top and as I stepped out of the elevator I felt a cool breeze. I gasped as I looked around. I was on the roof of the gym!

There was a large arena and on the opposite side of me I saw a guy with bright blue hair talking to a Pidgey and Pidgeotto. The Pidgeotto nodded towards me and the man turned to look at who he was gesturing to.

"Who are you?" he shouted so I could hear.

"I'm Lyra and I want a gym battle! Who are you?" I shouted back.

"I'm Faulkner, this gym's leader. Let's battle then," his pokemon turned to completely look at me and he nodded to the Pidgey. It nodded back and flew to the center of the arena.

I looked at Cyndaquil, "You ready?"

"Cynda," he nodded and the flames on his back blazed. He walked to the center where Pidgey was.

"Peck!"

"Tackle!"

"Gust!"

"Ember!" The attacks kept coming but neither pokemon could be hit. It took thirty minutes to finally land the hit that beat the Pidgey. Falkner returned his pokemon and I recalled Cyndaquil.

"Mareep!" I shouted as I threw the pokeball. Pidgeotto was already in the center when Mareep appeared.

"Tackle!" I shouted and Pidgeotto dodged by flying directly over Mareep. "Perfect," I mumbled, "Thunder Bolt!" As Pidgeotto flew over her head a bold of lightning shot up and struck Pidgeotto's wing. Wounded, it was forced to land. _There goes your flying advantage, Faulkner._ I squealed gleefully. I was going to win.

"Again!" I commanded before Falkner could send an attack. Pidgeotto fell to the ground, fainted.

"What-How-Huh?" Falkner muttered as he stared at his fainted Pidgeotto. He composed himself and returned Pidgeotto. "Take this," he said once he had walked over to me. He held out a small badge, "The Zephyr Badge."

"Thanks, Falkner," I smiled as I took the badge, admiring it. It looked like two bird pokemon wings when it is flying quickly to the ground. I shook his outstretched hand before leaving the gym.

**_RING! RING!_**

I looked at my pokegear in horror. My mom was calling me. I bet she was pissed. I debated whether I should answer it or not but then decided that it would make her angrier if I ignored her. I took the call.

"H-hi, mom," I started.

"Lyra! Are you all right? I told you that you could not go and you disobeyed me! Come home this instant!" she shouted into the phone, causing me to hold it away from my ear a bit.

"But mom, I've already caught another pokemon and-"

"GET HOME!"

"Will you please let me finish?" I shouted, causing nearby people to stare.

"What is it?" she sighed into the phone.

"I've already caught a Mareep and got the Zephyr Badge from Falkner in Violet City. I told you I could do it and I am doing it. Why can't you just support me?" I asked, lowering my voice. There was a silent pause before she spoke.

"You've already got a-a badge? It's only been a few days since you left," she mumbled.

"I'm good at this and I enjoy it. Cyndaquil and Mareep do too," I looked at Cyndaquil to give him a reassuring smile. He rubbed his warm body against my leg.

"And you've caught a pokemon. All on your own," she repeated.

"That's what I said," I nodded my head as if she could see me.

"Well, then I guess that you can continue your adventure."

"Oh my Arceus! Really? Seriously?" I asked in excitement.

"But I want you to come home if you feel like it and you have to call me all the time. I wish I could know that you're all right all the time but I can't so you'll have to tell me."

"Thank you so much, mom. I'll be safe, I promise!"

"Oh that reminds me, Professor Elm wants to tell you something. He came over to see how Cyndaquil was but you weren't here and I was worried since it had been-" I cut her off.

"What does he need to tell me?"

"Oh, right! Here he is," I heard her hand the phone to Elm.

"Thanks, Samantha," Elm thanked my mom. They had gone to school together, "Lyra? Are you still there?"

"Yea, Professor, I'm here."

"Great. How is Cyndaquil? I heard your mom say something about you getting a new pokemon."

"Yeah, I caught a Mareep and Cyndaquil's doing fine. What was it you needed to tell me?"

"That's good and I need you to go to the pokecenter in Violet City. Ethan's dad is there waiting for you. He'll explain the rest."

"Ok, Professor."

"Your mom says bye."

"Bye," I hung up the phone and looked at Cyndaquil. "Let's go to the center." As we walked through the town I was grinning from ear to ear. _Mom is totally ok with me being away from home!_ I broke away from my thoughts I walked into the center. I looked around until I saw Ethan's dad. He was sitting on a couch in the corner. When he saw me he waved and got up to walk over to me.

"Professor Elm said that he was going to call you. Did he tell you why I'm here?" I shook my head no. "He wants you to hold onto the pokemon egg until it hatches. Then give us a call, if you will."

"Yeah, sure. Anything to help," I smiled as he handed me the egg in the same cloth Mr. Pokemon had wrapped it in. I placed it into my bag like before.

"Thank you for this, Lyra. It was good to see you."

"You too," I smiled before he left. After making sure my pokemon were healthy enough to travel again, I walked out of the center. As I walked a little I thought someone was following me so I turned. I didn't see anyone suspicious so I continued walking. It wasn't until I was on route 32 that I turned around again.

"Why are you following me?" I asked the dark haired woman in a kimono who I'd seen before.

"I'm sorry, it's just that egg. May I see it?"

"Sure," I thought the request was weird, but I showed her the egg and told her where I'd got it when she asked.

"That egg is really special. Please take great care of it. I'm counting on you," she smiled before walking back to Violet City.

"Ok then," I looked at Cyndaquil who shrugged. I sighed; there are a lot of weirdoes in the region. I'm just going to have to get used to running into them from time to time. There were many trainers on route 32, especially around a small pond.

The fishermen would get pissed if I even just walked past them and they lost what they were trying to catch. They would blame me and I would be forced to battle them. They would just get angrier since I'd beaten them and then they'd go back to fishing. The road eventually went from dirt to a rocky sort of terrain and I saw a pokecenter's light ahead.

As I walked up to the center a man dressed in all black stepped in front of me, blocking my path, "Would you like a tasty Slowpoke tail?" He opened his black cloak and I shielded my eyes, thinking that he was some perverted flasher and that a Slowpoke tail would be his… you know. As I finally peeked from in between my fingers I realized that he had just pulled out a pink Slowpoke tail.

I gasped in horror, "Is that a real Slowpoke tail?"

"Yeah and you can have it for only one thousand bucks."

"No," I still couldn't believe that someone would cut off a pokemon's tail to sell to someone.

"Then get out of here!"

"Where did you get that?" I asked and he turned to glare at me.

"None of your business," he growled and began to walk away. Cyndaquil jumped in front of him and began to growl. "So you want to be that way, huh?" He threw a pokeball and released a Zubat. Cyndaquil quickly beat him and sent him running into the woods.

"You were great, Cyndaquil," I smiled but gasped as a white glow began to come from his body and in a few seconds I had a completely different pokemon standing in front of me.

"Cyndaquil, you evolved!" I breathed and began to laugh in happiness.

"Lava!" Quilava squealed. We walked inside of the center happily. Not too many trainers were inside I noticed. Mainly it was only hikers and such. As I got the key to our room I walked up the familiar stairs and down a hallway until I came to our room. I released Mareep and plopped onto the bed, letting my thoughts retrace the occurrences of today.


	4. Saving Slowpoke

I rolled over as the sun streamed in through the window. Quilava was asleep at my feet still. I could feel his comforting warmth. A smile found its way to my lips as I yawned and looked around the room. Mareep was sleeping soundly on the rug next to the bed and I sighed. _I wish it could be like this forever._

I looked out the window at a nearby Spearow as it flew from a branch. I got out of the bed without waking either of the two pokemon and walked to the window. I opened it and looked out of the room. From the second story window I could see quite a way, but not enough to see Violet City. There were trees all around except for the small cave.

I groaned silently. I'd have to go inside of a dank, dripping, not to mention dark, cave today. I guess facing your fears was a part of being a trainer. Truthfully, ever since I was attacked by a Zubat when I was five, I've been totally scared of places where it is dark. I even still have a Magicarp night light.

Sighing, I pulled off the red tank top I'd slept in. No one was outside to see so I allowed myself to stand next to the window as I put on my clothes. Feeling the summer breeze was calming. As I was fully dressed I woke my pokemon, returning Mareep to her ball.

After eating, Quilava and I came to the entrance of Union Cave, "Light the way." I motioned to Quilava and he nodded and hurried into the cave. Trainers occasionally asked us to battle, but it was rare. Mainly they were just trying to find their way out of the cave. I stuck close behind Quilava as we walked through the cave.

The deeper we went into the cave, the darker and wetter it got. There were even some ponds I noticed as we walked. Mainly pokemon would run from Quilava's flames and the sudden light, but a few startled Zubats flew at my head. I admit, I screamed like a little girl. After that I let Mareep walk next to us since she was more effective against the Zubats. I wasn't taking any chances with the souless creatures.

Mareep battled a few trainers as well. After we made it to the exit there was one more trainer blocking the exit. In order to pass he wanted to battle. Mareep beat his pokemon and evolved. I was totally ecstatic.

"Flaaffy, you're so… so PINK!" I squealed and wrapped my arms around her. She bhaa'd in glee, clapping her now hand-like paws together. The trainer handed me my winnings and I was about to go out the cave but stopped. My mouth popped open. I hadn't been in the cave but thirty minutes and it was already pouring rain? I returned Quilava and Flaaffy, not wanting them to get soaked. I had nothing to cover myself with so I ran through route 33, completely ignoring everything around me.

As I made it to the outskirts of Azalea Town and the rain stopped, "That's weird." I mumbled as I walked down a path to the front of Slowpoke Well. There was a small cave opening over the well, two men arguing in front of it.

"We are Team Rocket! We haven't broken up! Give me a break," the one with a red R on his shirt scoffed then rubbed his head. "Wait, I actually think we did before. But that doesn't matter because we are so back! Whatever. That matters not. Just get lost, old man," he shoved the man out of the way and stood in front of the cave.

The man ran off into the town and I walked up to the Rocket member, "That wasn't nice."

"This place is dangerous. He was trying to get in," he shrugged. "It was for his safety." Something inside of me told me he was lying, but I wasn't sure. I decided to let it go and walked into the town. As I was walking my pokegear rang.

**RING! RING!**

I answered the call, "Hello?"

"Sup, loserrrr!" I heard Ethan joke on the other end.

"What are you doing?" I sighed into the phone.

"I asked you first!"

"I'm in Azalea Town. It's really pretty here," I stared in awe at the multiple flowers and cheerfulness of the town. This is my kind of place.

"Sweet! You should totally check out my Uncle Kurt's place."

"You have a ton of relatives, you know that?" I laughed.

"Yea, you should see the family reunions. Anyway, he lives right next to the center! Just tell him you're a friend of mine. He might even make you some free pokeballs."

I was stunned, "He makes pokeballs?"

"Yea, he has a knack for making 'em. He uses apricorns. I gotta go, though. Totally training my Bayleef," before I had a chance to ask him about his evolved Chikorita, he hung up. I groaned at my friend's hastiness. Walking past the pokecenter I came to a house.

"This must be the place," I looked at the small cottage. There was firewood stacked on the side and every kind of apricorn tree around the house. This definitely looked like the home of a man who made pokeballs out of apricorns. As I walked up the small path to the house the door flew open, nearly smacking me in the face.

"Sorry," the older man grunted, looking down at me. I saw a small girl about six peeking at me from behind him. "You want me to make some balls for you, right? Well that will have to wait. I have to save the Slowpoke!" Rushing past me and not even bothering to close the door, he ran towards Slowpoke Cave.

I looked after him then at the girl, "Hi, sweetie. I'm Lyra. What's your name?"

"Kassy," she squeaked, cautiously peeking at me from behind the door.

"I'm a friend of Ethan's. He told me to come see Kurt," I saw her face light up, no longer scared.

"Ethan? He's my best friend," she beamed and I noticed her two front teeth were missing. "Grandpa should be back with the Slowpoke daddy gave me. A man stole him to hurt him." A tear ran down her face.

"Don't worry, I'll go help him," I wiped the tear away with my index finger. "Just stay inside the house until Kurt gets home, ok?" She nodded and closed the door. I released Quilava.

"We have to help Kurt," I didn't exactly know how, but I had a feeling that the guy that stole the Slowpoke wasn't going to give it back easily. We ran to the cave, but Kurt or the guy that had been guarding it were nowhere to be found.

"Quil," he nodded towards the cave.

"Yea, they might be in there," I walked slowly into the cave and saw a ladder going into the well. "Oh my Arceus, Kurt!" I screeched as I saw he was lying at the bottom of the ladder. I rushed down and nudged him into consciousness.

"Are you ok?" I asked and he tried to get up. He flinched, bringing his hand to the back of his head. When he looked at it there was blood.

"Oh Arceus," I spoke and began breathing through my mouth. I can't take the smell of blood. It smells like rust.

"I'll be fine," he groaned. "I yelled at the guard and he took off. I followed him in here, but I didn't see the hole. I fell. This used to be an old well. You have to stop them."

"Them?"

"Team Rocket! They are trying to cut off the Slowpoke's tails," he screamed and I flinched.

"That sucks," I nodded and stood up. Quilava was looking worriedly at Kurt but followed me as I walked into an opening in the well's wall. The guard from the front was inside and battled me. I was horrified as I saw Slowpoke all around without tails. _Who could do this to a pokemon?_ I managed to sneak past other Team Rocket members as I went deeper into the well.

There was one with blue hair that held a Slowpoke. I then noticed the knife in his hand. I jumped him without thinking and he dropped the knife.

"STOP!" I screamed as we fell to the ground. He looked up at me, astonished.

"Who the hell are you?" he screeched.

"Lyra and you can't just go around chopping off tails left and right!" I climbed off of him and he got off the ground.

Crossing his arms, "I'm Proton from Team Rocket. I can do whatever I want. Surely you've heard of me."

"Nope," I shook my head. "Am I going to have to force you to stop?"

He laughed, "I'd like to see you try." His Zubat took out my Quilava after his Koffing fainted. He laughed once more, "Did you seriously think you could interfere with our plans?"

"It's not over yet," I threw Flaaffy's pokeball. The whole battle depended on her and Flaaffy pulled through for me. Proton's face turned red from rage as he realized he'd lost.

"You won't stop us. Be very afraid of what is to come," he shouted as he ran from the well.

"Be very afraid," I mocked his menacing tone, trying to cover my own fear of what he meant. Walking back through the well, I noticed that the whole Team Rocket had gotten out of there and fast, too. Going back to where Kurt laid, I managed to help him back up the ladder and to his house. After he had some tea and the bleeding stopped, he promised me he felt fine.

Kassy looked at Kurt, "Did you find Pokey?" She looked at him hopefully and he pulled out a pokeball, releasing the Slowpoke. She squealed in delight and hugged her pokemon.

Kurt turned his attention from his grandchild to me, "Thank you for your help, Lyra. Kassy told me that you were Ethan's friend. I'd be happy to make pokeballs for someone as brave as you." The large man smiled sincerely at me, "Consider it my saying thanks for everything you've done.

"That's really great, but all I have right now are some green apricorns my pokemon found on the road," I pulled out the small pod-like things.

"That's perfect. I'll be done in a day or so. Maybe you could stick around for that long?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have to go to the gym anyway," I smiled and petted Quilava's head.

"You and your pokemon can stay here for the night. I have an extra room where Kassy's mother used to sleep. Feel free to use it," he smiled and looked at Kassy.

"That's really great," I thanked him for his hospitality.

"Will you show Lyra to her room?" he asked the brunette.

"Yes, Granpa," she smiled and pulled my arm. I followed her up the stairs and to the small bedroom where I was to sleep. She showed me where her room was and that the bathroom was right beside my room.

As she left I smiled at Quilava who had immediately taken over half of the full-sized bed, "Leave some room for me." Releasing Flaaffy, I pulled out my pigtails and placed my hat on the dresser. The room was painted a soft blue color and the bed's covers were a dark and earthy green. _It looks like the forest. _I noticed this before kicking off my shoes and pulling myself into the bed.

I looked around the darkened room, giving time for my eyes to adjust once I turned off the light near the bed. Quilava climbed next to me and his heat was reassuring. The sheets smelled of pine and grass, but in a relaxing way that made me want to inhale it even more. Before I knew it I'd drifted off into the darkness.

I woke slowly the next day. Like how I usually do at home. I'll drift in and out of consciousness for about two hours until I am completely rejuvenated. The room was now bright and shining and I at first thought I was at home. Until my eyes adjusted to the sudden light, that is.

After getting fully dressed I walked down the stairs to find breakfast neatly placed at the table. Kassy and Kurt were already eating and I sat down at the empty chair that was obviously where I was to sit. Flaaffy and Quilava ate close to me on the floor. Kurt had even made them something to eat. Kassy's Slowpoke sat in her lap.

Kurt promised that my pokeballs would be done by the end of the day and I was pleased. Walking out of the house I looked around the city. I was really looking for the gym, eager to get another badge. However much I wanted to run inside the gym and challenge the leader as soon as I saw it, I restrained myself. I wanted to make sure my pokemon were ready. I'm not the kind of person to do things only half-prepared. Okay, maybe I wasn't always prepared, but not when it came to gym battles!

I looked at Flaaffy who was walking beside me today, "I want to make sure we can win a badge on the first try! What do you say to some training in the forest?" I smiled at the pink puffy pokemon who smiled in glee. Walking to the Eterna Forest gate, I looked at the dense trees.

"Ready?" I encouraged Flaaffy. Just as she nodded her head and we were about to go into the forest, a familiar boy with silver eyes walks out of the gate building and runs right into me.

"Ugh," he cried as we fell down. "Can't you watch where you're going?" He angrily asked before looking up to see it was me.

"You!" I gasped.

"You," Silver spat, but was startled as I grabbed his collar and shook him roughly. His silver eyes widened.

"Why would you steal a pokemon?" I screeched, causing some people to look my way. I lowered my voice, "Seriously, Elm would have probably given you the pokemon if you'd asked nicely!" Dumbstruck by my sudden outburst, Silver was speechless. But only for a few seconds.

He waved away the question, "Tell me something. I've heard that Team Rocket were the ones who cut off all of the Slowpoke's tails. Are they really back?"

I let go of him, blushing as I realized I was hindering him from getting off of me, "Yea, those meanies." Now released from my grip of steel, he was able to clamber off of me. He didn't even offer to help me up! Jerk. He was still glaring at me as I continued, "Kurt and I ran them off."

I was startled by his sudden laughter, "You! B-beat Team Rocket?" He grabbed his stomach and bellowed over, "Quit messing with me. A loser like you couldn't do that."

"Well, obviously I'm not that much of a loser or I wouldn't have been able to do it," I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him. His laughter stopped and he inhaled a deep breath.

"You're serious? Man, they must really suck then if you beat them," just as the last word came out of his mouth a flash of brown feathers flew into his face, knocking him to the ground. Just as quickly, it flew off his head and into the forest. Silver was left on the ground, me standing over him, with a completely priceless shocked look on his face.

Flaaffy and I burst into laughter as he spit feathers out of his mouth and got off the ground for the second time, "What the heck was that?" A boy a little younger than us ran up to us.

"FARFETCH'D COME BACK!" he called after the feathery pokemon. Silver grabbed him by the collar and the boy gasped.

"Was that your pokemon?" Silver growled and he nervously shook his head yes. I thought he was going to slug the poor boy so I stepped in the middle of them, managing to contain my giggles.

"Tone it down, Silver," I sighed and placed my hand on his chest. He turned his death glare to me.

"I will not! His infernal bird just wacked me in the head! He needs to learn to control his pokemon," Silver snapped. I managed to loosen his grip on the boy's collar to where he was no longer practically picking him off the ground.

I looked at the boy, "So what was up with that?" He shifted his weight nervously, obviously intimidated by Silver.

"That was my master's pokemon and since I don't have any gym badges it won't listen to me. If I don't get Farfetch'd back, Master will be furious," he looked as if he was about to cry.

"Don't worry about it," I smiled and patted his back. "Silver and I will help you get it back." Silver nearly choked on his own spit.

"WHAT? It isn't my fault he's a weakling that can't control his pokemon," Silver's wide eyes stared at me in disbelief that I'd just volunteered him.

"Consider it my punishment for you stealing Totodile," I smiled.

"I don't need your acceptance," he scoffed.

"Well, I could turn you over to the cops," I tapped my finger on my chin thoughtfully. "If you do this, I promise to never turn you in. It's a win-win situation!" I laughed and pulled his arm, "Come on, Silvy! We've got a Farfetch'd to catch!"

"Do NOT call me Silvy," he groaned as I pulled him into Ilex Forest, the boy trailing close behind.

**Author Note:**

**Hey so I decided to call Kurt's granddaughter 'Kassy' since I couldn't find a real name for her. ^.^" Anyway, did you like this chapter? Tell me please!**

**I love making Silver pissed. It's just amusing to me.**


	5. Fleeing Farfetch'd

"I really can't thank you guys enough for this," the boy thanked us for the fifth time for helping him look for the Farfetch'd.

"No problem," I smiled reassuringly.

"Actually-" Silver started but I elbowed him in the stomach earning an 'oof' and a glare (which I ignored).

"We might be able to find it faster if we split up," the boy suggested.

"Anything if you'll just quit thanking us," Silver huffed and began to walk in a completely opposite direction.

"We'll meet back here if we find it," I shouted at the boy as I ran to catch up with Silver.

"Silvy!" I called in a sing-song voice. He turned his head slightly to see me then sighed.

"Why can't I get rid of you?" he groaned.

"Because I'm going to make sure that you're actually helping with the finding. Not just going off into the forest to never be seen again," I laughed as I returned Flaaffy to her ball. Probably wouldn't need her for this.

"Why do you let your pokemon walk with you?" he asked me curiously.

"Well, they seem to like it and I like having some company. They aren't just my partners, they're my friends," I replied after thinking it over. He scoffed and shook his head, obviously disagreeing with me.

"Pokemon are merely tools for the strong. Only weaklings care about being a pokemon's 'friend'" he used his index and middle finger to make quotation marks when he said 'friend'.

I smiled sadly, pitying him a bit. He didn't know the happiness that came from seeing your friend win a battle for you, or the joy of just being able to snuggle next to a pokemon at night. Even just knowing that my pokemon would risk their lives for me each and every time they battled, trusting me completely, made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

"Even though you say that," I kicked the ground beneath my feet as we walked, "I bet- no- I'm certain that your pokemon feel differently."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Silver shot me a glare, thinking that I was insulting him in some way.

"I'm sure your pokemon consider you their friend!" I looked straight into his silver eyes and smiled. The malice on his face was replaced with shock for a moment before turning into confusion.

"You're crazy," he mumbled before changing the subject, "Let's just find that stupid bird so I can get on with my life."

"Okay then," I sighed and looked above my head at the trees, hoping to catch any sign of the missing Farfetch'd. Silver and I searched in silence for several minutes. Soon, I spotted a brown feathery creature ahead of us.

"Hey, look! Silvey do you think that's the Farfetch'd," he cringed at my nickname for him and corrected me once more before looking to where I was pointing. The redhead beside me squinted in the distance, seeing as we were a ways away from it.

His eyes widened at recognising the bird, "COME BACK HERE YOU STUPID BIRD!" He took off after it.

"No! Silvey, wait-!" by the time the words had left my mouth it was too late. The Farfetch'd squawked once, realizing Silver's advance and frantically hopped away, but not before whacking Silver in the face once more with its body and sending the redhead to the ground.

"Oh my god! Silver are you okay?" I panted, catching up to where Silver lay. He sat up as quickly as possible, completely red in the face from rage.

"STUPID IDIOT WEAK POKEMON! THAT'S THE LAST TIME YOU ATTACK ME!" he roared before sending a pokeball flying through the air. A flash of red light came from the ball, revealing a Spearow who flew to it's trainer's side. Catching the pokeball and placing it back in his pocket, Silver gave his orders, "Follow the Farfetch'd, Spearow! Don't disappoint me." The Spearow gave a cry of agreement before flying off to follow the other bird pokemon.

"Come on," Silver ordered, gripping my wrist and pulling me with him to follow his Spearow. I admit, I was having trouble keeping up with his fast pace, even if he was dragging me by the wrist.

"Ah- hah- S-Silvey! I-I can't go any f-further," I panted, gripping my knee with my right hand, the one he wasn't dragging me by. "G-Go on without me! S-Save yourself! Don't worry about me! J-Just don't forget about me. Tell my mother I'm sorry I didn't make my bed before I left, and tell that boy that I didn't die in vain!"

"The hell are you talking about, weakling?" Silver looked down at me with a look that clearly said pull-yourself-together-you-mental-person! Releasing Quilava from his ball, I stood from my hunched position.

"You're right, Silvey-"

"Don't call me Silvey!"

"This is no time to think like this! There is a battle raging and I am still of use! Farfetch'd will not stand a chance against our combined forces! Quilava, will you help me fight for justice," Quilava dramatically pledged his loyalty with a series of 'quil's and 'lava-la's. Finally ending his speech with a battle cry, Quilava and I raced forward, leaving Silver to facepalm before following us.

We finally made it to where the Farfetch'd and Silver's Spearow were. The Farfetch'd was cornered against a tree with the Spearow viciously pecking near its feet whenever it would attempt escape. I thought Silver's methods of capturing the Farfetch'd were a bit ruthless, but I didn't voice my opinion. After all, he had actually helped for once! Well, in his own way...

Capturing the Farfetch'd, we returned to where we'd told the boy we would meet him. Standing with him was an older man. I carried the Farfetch'd in my arms, finally soothing the poor creature from its previous state of being scared to death by Silver's Spearow. Approaching the two, the Farfetch'd leaped from my grasp and onto the man's shoulder. I noticed another Farfetch'd was perched on the opposite shoulder.

"So you were the kid that helped catch Farfetch'd? I've gotta' thank you for that. Without this Farfetch'd we wouldn't be able to cut trees for charcoal," the man nodded. I quickly put two and two together and realized this must be the boys 'Master'.

"Oh, it was nothing really! But you've got Silver to thank for tha-" I stopped mid-sentence as I turned to realize there was no one beside me. I puffed out my cheeks in anger. That jerk ditched me!

The boy's Master laughed and patted my back, "Well tell this Silver character that I said thanks if you see him. But as for you… How can I thank you?"

"M-Master, what about that…?" the boy began and his Master nodded approval over whatever unspoken suggestion the boy had given.

"Here, take this," the Master dug into his pocket and pulled out five white apricorns. Handing them to me I beamed up at him. Arceus as my witness, I _LOVE_ free stuff.

"Wow, thanks so much! I'll bet Kurt can make some awesome balls from these," I waved as the boy and his master exited the forest. Shoving the apricorns into my bag, I sighed and looked where Silver had once stood. I couldn't believe him! One minute he's all_ let's work as a team_ and then the next he's all _screw this Vanillite stand_*. I just couldn't understand him sometimes.

I shrugged the thoughts away. _His loss. More apricorns for me~_

"Okay," I released Flaafy next to Quilava. "You guys ready for some pre-gym training?" Flaffy bhaa'd her approval and the flames on Quilava's back flared with excitement. "Then let's get started!"

***The whole Vanillite stand thing is my twist on the saying "Screw this Popsicle stand!" because since Vanillite looks like ice cream it kind of fits...**

**Author's Note:**

**Hola mi amigas e amigos! /bricked by Spain for total fail in Spanish/  
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**It's been a while, no? Yeah, sorry about that but I had a FREAKING HUGE block with this chappie for some reason! It was actually so bad that I thought I was not going to continue this! ^.^" I'm glad my writing switch was finally flipped back on to _awesome_ mode because now I can start writing for this again. God, it's been so long since writing on this story that I'm afraid I've lost the feel of the characters! D: Please tell me whether or not they still sound the same as the previous chappies! And if they don't then I'm sincerely sorry (unless you like the new way they act..?). Y'know what. I'm just going to stop there because I don't even know what I'm saying.  
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**Uploads for this story may be few and far between I'm afraid because this is kind of on the back burner.. Like I put my DA stories above this one so I'm sorry if it takes weeks at a time for me to update this! Anyway, if you're patient enough to stick around then I thank you.. If not then... Well don't read it. *sobs in corner*  
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